Monday 15 November 2010 15.53 EST
First published on Monday 15 November 2010 15.53 EST

Tucked away from the intensity of the crowds and traffic today, some of the 25,000 Britons who are performing the hajj this year were taking a welcome respite in Arafat.

In modest canvas tents, strewn with sleeping bags and sleeping bodies, pilgrims settled in for prayer and reflection, ahead of the gruelling physical and mental challenges that lay ahead.

Dr Faatimah Esmail, a surgical trainee from Leicester, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. It was her first time on the pilgrimage. "You can't imagine what it's going to be like. It's overwhelming. You might think it's difficult to have a spiritual experience with so many people around but the concept of the hajj is that you're here to worship your creator. It's between him and you. Nobody else."

The 31-year-old has travelled extensively – North America, east Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent – but said nothing compared to the holy city.

"I've been to several Arab countries and yes, Saudi is another Arab country, but it's completely different. The peace and tranquillity you achieve here can't be found anywhere else."

The tent was home to many first-time pilgrims. Another, Halima Bhayat, said she was preparing a PowerPoint presentation for her students at Maria Fidelis convent school, north London. The 27-year-old teacher said her pupils were interested in what she was doing and why. "I'm taking pictures to show what people are doing. I want to talk to them about what I've learned and what it's like. They think I'm going to be living in a desert in a tent. I've never done camping, maybe I should have done to get some practice."

Millions of pilgrims poured into Arafat today to spend the day in prayer, enduring temperatures of more than 35C (95F) to seek penance for their sins. Many spent the night on its famous mountain in vigil.

Islamic tradition says Jabal al-Rahman, a rocky 70-metre-high hill, is where Muhammad gave his final sermon 1,400 years ago, and for many it is the highlight of the pilgrimage.

The Saudi government estimates that this year there are 2.5m pilgrims, but despite security measures – including 8,000 officials drafted in to crack down on squatters and unauthorised pilgrims – as many as a million extra are thought to be performing the hajj without the necessary paperwork.

Another Briton in Mecca this year is the Conservative peer Lady Warsi, who is undertaking hajj at the invitation of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. A statement from the Cabinet Office said: "Baroness Warsi will conduct Hajj in a private capacity as part of an annual international delegation of Muslim politicians and leaders. Although predominantly a private visit, Baroness Warsi will participate in some official engagements after completing the pilgrimage."

Throughout the day, and into the evening, Arafat was proof that 2010 is a record-breaking hajj. Tonight it was clear serious issues of crowd control remained, as pilgrims spilled out onto the Al Jawhara Road, chaotically and frantically, in a bid to reach the next destination of Muzdalifah.

A government convoy, attempting to leave a compound, threatened to cause injury as it shuddered through the teeming masses, alarming both pilgrims and passengers as they brushed past. Police officers, attempting to clear a way for the official vehicles, tried to hold pilgrims back. But many reacted angrily, breaking their way through, banging on the doors of the vehicles and clambering over them in frustration.

There has not been a stampede for several years, but there is still plenty of potential for chaos. The much-lauded Mecca metro, with a maximum capacity of 72,000 passengers an hour, will go some way to alleviating the pressure on the roads, but with the Saudi authorities striving for bigger hajj numbers, more work will need to be done on managing the millions.

Some Muslims are also still taking risks with their hajj by handing over thousands of pounds to rogue agents, according to one tour operator. Mohammed Patel, a 38-year-old from London, has performed the hajj every year since 1998. He said the single most important thing for would-be pilgrims to do was to check the credentials of the tour operator.

"Use a registered company. If you don't you could be throwing your money away. You hear stories of people who never make it here, they lose all their money. They think that because the tour operator is Muslim and the hajj is a Muslim event, that nothing bad will come of it. There are definitely trust issues.

"The company needs to be licensed with the ministry of hajj – you won't get your visa if they're not – and they should also be Abta and Atol protected."

Horror stories of ripped-off, stranded or duped pilgrims persist, in spite of campaigns from the British government and pilgrim-interest groups, such as non-existent hotels, or sub-standard and overcrowded accommodation.

Patel recommended that aspiring pilgrims use a service such as hajjbuddy.com, a US-based site rating hotels and travel companies. It also has a quick tips section – with information on mobile phone usage and how men can avoid friction and chafing while wearing their hajj clothing.

"It's a bit like TripAdvisor but specific to the hajj and with a bit more stuff on it," said Patel.